


Promises, or Pop Goes the Question!

by imaginedandreal



Series: The Virtch and Moir Fluff Fix [3]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, no angst whatsoever, see i'm rhyming i'm so far gone for them, some smut, there's fluff there's smut there's God knows what
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 16:51:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14675361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginedandreal/pseuds/imaginedandreal
Summary: How Scott and Tessa promised each other that their friendship will last forever. And not only friendship.





	Promises, or Pop Goes the Question!

**Author's Note:**

> Minor trigger warning about some allusions to and descriptions of assault in an otherwise positive and fluffy fic. It's only because I'm a giant slut for Protective!Scott :D
> 
> Also, something that I intended to be light and fluffy acquired a distinct lemon flavor ;) hope that's ok ;)

Tessa, like many nine year-old girls, sometimes discussed the subject of her future hypothetical wedding, but Scott had never really been in on any of her grand fairytale daydreams.

 

Until one weekend, when their moms took them along to the mall.

 

The two had snuck away from Kate and Alma, who stopped by a women’s clothing store.

“Ooh, if I ever get engaged, I want my ring to be huuuuuge,” said Tessa excitedly, addressing a slightly bored Scott. “Like those they have there!” She pointed at the display in one of the jewelry stores. 

“Mommy, can we go look at the jewelry, please? Pretty please? We’ll stay there and then come back to you, if you want,” Tessa pleaded, turning on her best puppy eyes. 

Scott decided to chime in, if only to humor his friend. He had no interest whatsoever in anything regarding jewelry, but for Tessa, he could ooh and ahh over some sparkly stuff for a while. “Yes, please, Mrs. Virtue! I promise I won’t let Tessa run away very far.”

His playful grin decided it. Kate and Alma let the two go, after copious promises to stay in the jewelry store, and only there. 

 

“Scotty, Scotty! Oh my gosh, look at that big diamond!” Tessa was entranced immediately upon coming up to the displays. They were the only two children there. Scott noticed that the adults in the store were smiling at them. “Isn’t it beautiful?” He was pretty sure she sighed dreamily, getting close to the display with the rings.

The diamond ring which so enchanted Tessa didn’t impress Scott himself very much. Yes, it was big and shiny, but somehow plain and ordinary. Though he would never say that out loud to her.

“It’s pretty, but I prefer those,” he said, nodding to the section with the emerald jewelry. Tessa turned to them, and the funniest gap-toothed grin returned to her face. It seemed that she forgot all about the big diamond upon seeing the shining green stones.

“Ooh, I hope I can buy some of these when I grow up. They’re gorgeous, too. Even more than diamonds,” she murmured, gently touching the glass of the display.

Scott didn’t look at the emeralds anymore. He just looked at Tessa’s rapture before them. “You’d look very pretty in them, Tutu. Your eyes are sometimes the exact color.”

“Really?” she asked. Again, a grin. “So sweet of you to say that, Scotty.” 

“Are you looking for anything in particular, young people?” 

That was the saleslady, suddenly before them. Tessa immediately removed her finger from the glass with a guilty glance, but the lady didn’t seem mad. She was smiling good-naturedly at the two ‘young people.’

Scott himself felt uncharacteristically shy. “No, my friend Tessa just likes looking at jewelry,” he explained. The said friend nodded.

“When I grow up and have a lot of money, I’ll come back here,” she said, shaking her finger for emphasis. “And maybe even design jewelry.”

The saleslady smiled again. “That would be lovely, my dear.”

Tessa looked as if she wanted to say something else, but she just tilted her head. The shyness was getting to her too, and she giggled self-consciously, as soon as she finished her bold little answer. 

“Tessa, Scott! Come along now, we still have to go to the shoe store.” Their mothers were waiting by the entrance to the jewelry store, their arms already full of bags. 

“Coming, Ma!” called Scott. “Good-bye,” he told the saleslady, knowing that he should remember his manners.

“Have a nice day,” Tessa added politely. Scott saw her take a last longing glance at the emeralds.

“You too, my dears,” the woman answered kindly. 

And away they went, trailing behind their mothers.

 

“Those rings were gorgeous. The kind that a prince gives a princess. I wish I were a princess, so a prince would ride up on a white horse to my house and offer me one of those gorgeous sparkles.” Tessa confided in him, on their car ride back from the mall. “But I guess I’m too old to dream about princes anymore. Who knows…”

Scott suddenly found himself not liking the idea of some foreign prince coming to take away  _ his  _ friend. He could only be strangely relieved because he remembered that, luckily, princes didn’t exist, so a possibility of a royal engagement was not really in Tessa’s future. How would he even skate without her? The thought made him uncomfortable. 

He turned to her dreamily smiling face, determined to put the nameless prince out of her mind. “You are a princess yourself, Tess. An ice dancing princess.” Tessa blushed.

“I think you would actually make a good prince, too,” she told him, giggling once more. “Especially when you wear the fancy dancing costumes.”

“The ugly ones that Danny used to wear? Are you kidding?!” 

He poked her teasingly, and she returned it. The poking escalated into tickling. Overjoyed laughter filled the car.

They could not see how their moms smiled together at their children's antics. 

  
  


Somehow, neither of them revisited the subject of engagement or marriage after that. When they entered their teenage years, they were so focused on their professional career (and their friendship, as Scott always added mentally), that neither of them seemed to be interested in the silly daydreaming anymore. 

 

Scott witnessed firsthand that beauty was added to Tessa’s wonderful attributes as she got older, proudly taking its place beside intelligence, a great sense of humor, and immense talent. The sweet-faced little girl from her and Scott’s childhood turned into the prettiest teenager. Of course, boys began to swarm around her like hormone-laden flies. 

Her first boyfriend was a guy named Nick, her classmate. Scott decided outright that he disliked him. There was no reason to dislike someone he had never met, but he had neither the desire to meet Nick, nor the desire to analyze why exactly he didn’t like him. 

Tessa trusted him with all her secrets and everything on her mind of course. But it sounded like the only thing on her mind now, 24/7, was only Nick, Nick, Nick. Nick said this. Nick did that. Nick didn’t like the Leafs (Scott had been outraged to hear that). Nick took her to such-and-such a movie. 

Tessa sounded a bit disappointed when she recounted the movie date to Scott. “I wanted to go to a comedy, but Nick said he hated comedies, and we went to see an action.”

Scott frowned. On one hand, it was only a movie, but Nick’s behavior seemed to go downhill from there. 

One day, he came over to Tessa’s school to pick her up so they might hang out together. He spotted her in the middle of what looked like Nick’s gang of bros. Nick laughed with the bray of a drunk hyena at some stupid jokes they were trading, all the while barely paying any attention to Tessa, who looked extremely out of her element.

Isolated.

Ignored.

_ Forgotten. _

Scott’s blood fired up with anger instantly. He would kill anyone who ever made  _ his _ friend,  _ his  _ Tessa feel like a part of the scenery. Especially if it was her so-called boyfriend. 

Squaring his shoulders, he strode right up to the group of guys. They snickered louder.

“Ooh, is that the white knight coming over to pick up his lady?” Nick jeered. Scott quite literally saw red when the guy shamelessly draped his arm over Tessa’s shoulder. He was acting like she was his possession. His property. Tessa noticeably shrank back from her boyfriend’s grasp, but he didn’t let go.

Nick continued to mock him. “What’s the big deal, dumbass? You show up to get yourself outta the friendzone or somethin’?” He gave Tessa a few pats with the hand that rested almost right on her chest. Scott was consumed with the desire to rip his arm off his body. Who did he think he was?

“Nick, don’t. Leave Scott alone,” Tessa murmured weakly. She tried to disentangle herself from the forced embrace. 

“I’m just trying to explain to him whose girl you are.” Nick flashed Scott a mocking grin.

Scott closed his eyes. One more word from the asshole, and he wasn’t responsible for how he’d react. 

“You don’t fucking own her. Did anyone tell you your name rhymes with ‘dick’? That’s ‘cause you’re a dick. And that’s  _ not _ how you treat a girl. Tessa is a goddamn treasure, and you are garbage. You don’t deserve her fucking pinkie fingernail. Got that, Nick the Dick?” He hardly noticed that he had gotten in Nick’s face, and was drilling him with hate-filled eyes. One of Nick’s cheeks looked scratched, and Scott thought that he didn’t mind adding some more scratches onto various parts of him.

Nick’s goons looked on at them, anticipating the fight. 

“What was that? Got a death wish, you little punk?” Nick hissed. “You gonna get something broken, and over what? Some little prudish slut in disguise?”

“Scott, please! Don’t! Let’s just go,” Tessa cried desperately. She broke free from Nick at last and tried to stand between the two enraged boys.

“It’s okay, T. I’ll just have a little chat with Nick the Dick, and then we can go,” Scott snarled, never moving his eyes from Nick’s, which had narrowed into slits. “I’ll take care of this coward all by myself.” Gently, he tried to whisk Tessa away from harm.

“Scott, no!” shrieked Tessa. “Nick, drop it!”

Nick grunted and grasped Scott’s shoulders, but Scott wasn’t an athlete just because. Reacting with incredible speed, he dug his own hands into his opponent’s back, and drove his knee into his groin as hard as he was able to. Nick let him go, howling in pain, and crumpled to the ground. 

Scott looked up from his cringing, vanquished enemy, to the enemy’s friends, all of whom were staring mutely. He saw one guy’s mouth open until the gum that he was chewing fell out. 

“Just so we’re clear, this is gonna happen with anyone who disrespects Tessa. And if I see or even  _ suspect  _ anyone acting like this asshole did,” here Scott nudged the toe of his shoe into Nick’s back, “I first will make that idiot respect her, and then I will tear him apart, slowly and painfully. Come, Tess.” 

He held out his hand to Tessa, who was just as stunned as the other guys. Thankfully, she took it, and they hurried away from the scene. 

 

Tessa burst into tears and flung her arms around his neck the minute they were inside his car.

“Hush, T, it’s okay. I promise, he won’t ever insult you or harm you again. I promise,” Scott gripped her hands reassuringly, but she winced. 

He let go, looking at her questioningly, and then - 

Shock, anger, and horror infused him all over again. He only just then noticed that there was a sizable purple bruise on one of her wrists. 

“Tessa? Where is this from?”

She hid her face. Another tear slid down her cheek.

“Tess? Tell me, please, kiddo. Was it  _ him _ ? What did he do?! Did he - how often did he hurt you like this?” Scott could barely get the words out. He wanted to jump out of the car, run back there, and absolutely pulverize Nick. 

Tessa gulped. “N-no...this-this was the only time. He...it was yesterday. H-he was taking me...taking me back home. And we kissed, which I was okay with, and then...he said, ‘Why don’t we go back to my place?’ And I told him, maybe next time, but then he...he was all ‘Next time? How long am I going to wait? Come on, don’t be a little prude. I know you want what I want,’ and he...he kissed me again, but I  _ hated it _ , Scott, and I tried to get out of the car, but he was holding me tight and it hurt, and he tried…” Tessa’s voice broke. “He put his hands up my dress. He almost...almost took my underwear off, and I just…” 

She exploded with sobs, and Scott gathered her close again, murmuring to her, trying to soothe her, all the while thinking:  _ Monster. What kind of monster would want to do that???  _ And he wanted to kill him; for the first time in his life, easygoing and mild-tempered Scott Moir wanted to commit actual and literal murder. For which it would not be shameful to even do time. He now understood why Nick’s face had been scratched and his insulting comments about Tessa; and he was disappointed that he hadn’t been mauled more than that.

When it came to Tessa, Scott wanted to protect her by any necessary methods, and he would go to prison for her, if he was fated to. He realized that tears of pain for her and anger at her assailant were falling out of his own eyes. 

Tessa was shaking like a windblown tree in his arms. “Come on, you want it, he said to me. And I didn’t want it! Scott, I  _ didn’t  _ want it!” Her voice grew hysterical as she gasped the words through her tears. 

“I know, kiddo,” he calmed her, “I know you didn’t. It’s not your fault, it’s only his fault. I promise you, it’s never your fault. Never, ever, ever. Never.”

He held her like that until he felt that her crying was quieting down. When she moved away, his heart broke further at the sight of her wet, red-rimmed eyes. He brushed the tears away with his own fingers.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I traded you, my best friend, and for whom? I got so into this stupid dating thing, that I just tried on the costume of some...of some fairytale character onto...onto  _ him.  _ And I didn’t spend enough time with you. I was always blowing you off to go on a date. And here you got my back and rescued me. I’m so sorry, Scott. I’m sorry,” she finished, sniffing.

Scott took her face in his palms. “T, listen to me. Don’t ever apologize. I’m not offended at all. I understand you. And it was my duty as your friend to protect you from...animals. I’m always there for you. I love you, kiddo. It’s never otherwise.”

“I love you too, Scotty. I promise to never leave you hanging again.” Tessa smiled uncertainly, and Scott’s heart lifted a bit. But then, she crouched down, and Scott was surprised to see that she started untying one of her shoes. She pulled the lace out. Then, as Scott looked on with more surprise, she fished out a pair of scissors from her school bag and cut the lace in half. 

“Give me your hand.” Scott did.

“I, Tessa Jane McCormick Virtue, do solemnly promise to always be a faithful and loyal friend and skating partner to you, Scott Patrick Moir, for as long as we both shall live. And never to ditch you for a boyfriend again.” She tied the lace around his left ring finger in a lightly knotted bow.

Scott just looked at her. It was so original, and so like Tessa to come up with this. He took the other half of the shoelace.

“Then I, Scott Patrick Moir, do solemnly promise to be the best friend I can to you, Tessa Jane McCormick Virtue. And to defend you from jackasses for as long as we both shall live.” He tied the lace onto her finger. Then, impulsively kissed her bruised wrist.

She blushed, looking away. “I’d hate for you to get into trouble, though. Who knows what Nick might do now.”

“That piece of shit doesn’t scare me, Tess. I’d like to see him try and snitch on me. Anyone normal would do what I did.”

Tessa sighed. “Let’s hope you’re right. God, what would I do without you? And how could I have been so wrong?”

Scott took her hand again. “T. Stop blaming yourself. You’re a wonderful person, and you only see good in everyone. But I promise that he and other jerks will stay far, far away from you. Now,” he started the car, “what do you say to a chocolate brownie or two? I think we deserve some moral compensation for the hurt caused to us.” 

He winked at Tessa, and, to his relief and happiness, she answered with a wide smile of her own.

  
  


That little shoelace became a sort of a good luck charm for Scott. He untied it that evening, but stashed it away to be guarded like the most precious object. 

Both he and Tessa needed luck in the future, mainly where skating was concerned.

There was that harrowing injury of hers, and their falling-out, and the darker times during which they almost didn’t speak. 

There had been the sun of their relationship coming out of the clouds of misery and lack of communication, slowly but surely.

At that point, after Sochi, they decided not to resist the inevitable and gave in to their mutual attraction. Which grew and grew, out of bounds of a simple crush.

 

They were lounging one day in his house, when the rest of his family was conveniently away for a while. Both drowsy, they were comfortable in bed, and half-watching some TV. 

“Scott?”

“Hmm?”

“You are mine, aren’t you?” Scott chuckled and stroked her hair.

“Of course I am, T. And you’re mine,” he shifted so he could give her a sly look.

Tessa nuzzled against him, and he felt something stir inside him.  _ That  _ had stirred before, almost every time that they kissed, but never with such persistence.

“I want to  _ really  _ be yours now, Scotty.” She sat up, abruptly, and whipped her (his) old sweatshirt off. Shimmied out of her sweatpants and looked at him, clearly expecting him to follow her lead.

Scott only watched, mouth drying, then watering, before he could check himself. This was new. Before now, they had only indulged in some fondling above the clothes, and, of course, kissing, but this...this was an unfamiliar and deliciously enticing territory. He knew how  _ it _ was done, obviously, he had heard his older brothers’ stories, willingly and not, but for  _ him  _ to do this with  _ Tessa _ ? Did she truly want it? He couldn’t help but remember how, years ago, that bastard Nick had treated her. He didn’t want for her to be scared off by his advances, so, until now, he stayed restrained. 

“I want this, Scott. Hear me?  _ I want you _ ,” she breathed, sidling up to him, nearly fitting herself on top of him. Kissed him once. Twice. “I give you my full consent.”

Scott let himself sink into the kisses, and pulled her up so she was unmistakably flush against him.  _ Yes, me too, me too,  _ his whole being sang in triumph. But also...who knew that unfastening bras was so  _ impossible _ ? His suddenly clumsy hands trembled with eagerness, until she laughed softly and reached back, batting him away. A flash, and the bra was off; then, somehow, so was his shirt, and he kicked off his pants messily - until the only barriers between them were her underwear and his briefs. She was wearing plain white cotton, but, in that moment, Scott thought that he had never seen anything so seductive.    
_ So soft... _ every little bit of her was so soft and sweet-smelling, that he knew he could be doing this, kissing and exploring her every single day from then on, and that would hardly be enough. 

She burrowed her fingers into his hair and tugged lightly, when he rolled them over so he was on top. He was burning for her. He wished he could hold all of her in his  hands at once, but, as he couldn’t, he settled for flexing his fingers over her breasts. A perfect fit, he thought, in a flash of pure smug satisfaction. She gasped, and he at first thought it was a negative thing, but she wound her arms and legs around him tighter. 

He wanted her so much that it was painful to breathe.

“Scott.” Her own breath was hot against his lips. “Please, Scott. Keep touching me.”

So he did, and kept on, until their underwear was finally off and forgotten; until he eased into her and gloried in her widened eyes and eager moans; until they let themselves drown in the pleasure of each other, to the point of it becoming nearly unbearably blissful. 

Stunned with the effect of what they had done, exhausted and nearly a bit bashful of each other’s naked vulnerability, they lay quietly, still cuddled together, as if they had just discovered something rare and beautiful and unavailable for the rest of the world. 

_ I love you,  _ thought Scott. He didn’t register that he actually spoke the words.

Tessa did the same in reply.

 

The day after, he marched into the nearest jewelry store and made a selection.

 

That evening, he asked Tessa to close her eyes, and held out his palm.

 

She opened. Her hands flew to her mouth, and he gave a nervous laugh.

 

“It’s a promise ring, Tess,” he explained. “It’s better than those shoelaces, but not as good yet as a ring that I want to give you in the future, so you can wear  _ that  _ forever.”

She gaped at the ring for a second longer, and -

Shrieked with joy and attacked him with kisses. That half-cry, half-giggle spilled out of her like confetti on New Year’s Eve. 

Still trembling from emotion, he managed to fit the delicate golden band with a ‘love knot’ onto her equally shaky hand.

She threw her arms back around him as soon as it was on, and her lips on his gave him the same promises that he tried to convey through that ring.

  
  


After PyeongChang, they carved out a couple of days for themselves at home. 

“I don’t feel like going out to another party. Do you?” Tessa said, in a noticeably tired manner, one of such quiet evenings.

Scott’s heart leaped. If she decided so, it would be the more perfect to bring his newest and most nurtured plan to life. 

“Neither do I,” he smiled at her, but in a way that wouldn’t reveal any excitement or scheming.

They planned to watch a movie, and Scott had made a quick trip to the grocery store, to stock up on delightfully unhealthy treats. 

“Microwave popcorn?” Tessa smirked when she saw the packets in the bags. “Want me to do that? Since, you know, I’m a bad cook and only know my way around the microwave.”

Scott grinned and kissed her. “I can handle it. Why don’t you go and choose us something to watch? I give you right of first choice today,” he joked, poking her on the nose teasingly. 

“Wow, what a proper gentleman. Trying to make me husband you up, Mr. Moir?” Giggling, she went away to the living room.

Scott busied himself with the popcorn, but kept spinning her phrase about husbands around in his mind. 

She wanted to marry him. Well, she as good as admitted that just now.

She, Tessa Virtue, the most astonishingly amazing woman in the world,  _ still  _ wanted to marry the lucky idiot that he was.

 

The movie played its course; the popcorn slowly disappeared. The two of them relished each other’s presence, saying little.

Scott, though, was all anticipation, as nearly all the popcorn vanished. Tessa had been mechanically picking it out of the bowl, without looking. Then, as her hand hit an unfamiliar object that was not a kernel, she paused. Looked at the bowl. Gasped. Turned her eyes to Scott.

“What...what’s this?” Scott couldn’t do anything to prevent himself from grinning. 

“Take a better look at it, T,” he encouraged. 

Tessa lifted a tiny plastic packet from the bowl, looking at it as if she had never seen the likes of it in her life. 

Because inside it lay something she had never thought could be found in popcorn bags.

The something was made of gold, and had a green stone in the middle, at first glance.

Tessa made a choked little sound, the precursor to her crying laugh. 

“You know...” She kept staring at the ring. “If you put it there, you might as well ask me anything you want,” she told him, holding it out.

Scott took the plastic packet from her. Opened it, and then slid off the couch to the floor, so he was on one knee in front of the couch. 

“I just want to spend the rest of my life with you. And the only thing that would make me happy like I’ve never been before, is for you to agree.”

She still gazed at him. The love shining from her eyes dulled even the emerald in the ring. 

He raised a playful eyebrow. “Well? What will your positive answer be?”

“Like you don’t know. It’s  _ yes and yes only,  _ you smug dork,” she said, and leaned to kiss him soundly. Through that, he took her hand, without breaking the kiss, and fit the ring onto her finger. 

“My God.” Now she was really crying, laughing, and he was almost crying with joy himself. Then, she wriggled out of his embrace. Her expression changed to humor.

“You know, you’re not even a dad stereotype, and you literally proposed to me with the worst pun ever.” She shook her head, endeared and exasperated, and  _ proud  _ at his understated creativity. 

“You always said you didn’t want a big public proposal with bells and whistles,” Scott reminded her, getting back onto the couch to pull her close against him.

Tessa couldn’t stop admiring the shiny ring. “But imagine our grandkids talking about it. ‘How did Grandpa propose to Grandma? He  _ popped the question _ !’” She giggled like a little girl again.

Scott threw her a mischievous glance. “In order for there to be grandkids, there needs to be at least one kid. And, in order for there to be a kid…” he trailed off, suggestively fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt.

Tessa leaned away. “I have a surprise of my own, especially for my fiancé.”

She stood up, and slowly, deliberately took off her t-shirt, then stepped out of her sweatpants.

It was Scott’s turn to stare.

Her underwear matched the color of the ring almost to the hue. And it was satiny and lacy, too.

“It would be a  _ sin  _ not to show you this. Particularly after the gift you gave me.”

Scott, looking like a lottery winner, inched up to her. Rested his thumbs on where the underwear began.

“We really should celebrate our engagement. This is a  _ very _ good place to start,” he told her, gazing up at her.

She burst out laughing, and tumbled forwards, knocking him back onto the couch.

 

Some time later, they basked in a lazy afterglow.

“Mmm, yes, indeed,” Scott drawled. His fingers traced small circles on Tessa’s naked back. “That green set really makes your eyes  _ pop. _ ”

Tessa laughed quietly, tickling his neck with her breath. “I thought we were done with bad puns about popping?”

“There’s also popping out babies, that we didn’t discuss yet,” he told her teasingly.

A tug of her hand in his hair. “None of that for a while, Mr. Moir. I need to keep my girlish figure.”

“You will always be gorgeous to me, no matter what. Because you will always be my love.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed, comment your hearts out, dears <3


End file.
